A pastel portrait lesson exploring the luxurious colors, qualities and possibilities of soft pastel.
I fell in love with soft pastels when I saw Edgar Degas’ ballerina works. His use of light, movement and emotion as well as the beautiful textures he was able to create using soft pastel, blew my mind and made me want to learn how to work with these little chalky chunks of color.
I painted my first pastel portrait using inexpensive, student-grade pastels then quickly bought my first set of Sennelier Soft Pastels - I was hooked (and broke lol) after my first portrait. I’ve since experimented with various brands and recently discovered a good quality, affordable hand-rolled Pastel brand called Mungyo. I was excited to discover these because I didn’t want the cost of the materials to be a deterrent for people who wanted to explore this gorgeous medium.
In the classroom, we’ll explore the vibrancy and beautiful layering qualities of soft pastels through a series of small abstract color studies. I’ve chosen color palettes inspired by Ivy Newport’s, Colorflow book Volume 1. These small studies will be inspiration for the color, value and texture we’ll be incorporating into portraits, layer by layer.
Our main lesson will begin with a loose rendering of marks and textures, as we paint in the values of our portrait using a limited palette. We’ll slowly build the portrait to a more detailed finish through a variety of colors, layers and application techniques.
I hope you’ll join me on this colorful journey as we explore the beauty of expression through soft pastel.
“Every artwork is a voyage of discovery”
Class Is Open!
Only $47.00
{ LIFETIME ACCESS & DOWNLOADABLE VIDEOS }
Here's a description of each of our special projects:
Warm-up - COLOR STUDIES Express Yourself!
This is where a lot of the magic happens, beautiful friends! This is our chance to explore and express ourselves through color, texture, marks and more. It’s also a great opportunity to play with our materials and to discover ways in which we can apply them that “feel” natural, exciting and inspiring to us as individuals - for me, this is what it’s all about!
I encourage you to have fun with this step. Play some music that moves your soul (and your body ;) Be mindful of what makes your heart race and your soul sing and try to capture those emotions through colors and marks.
Main Lesson - Luminous Layers - Pastel Portrait
Using our color studies as inspiration, I’ll guide you, layer by layer, through the pastel painting process. I’ll share some of my favorite tips and tricks to make the painting process simple and easy to follow.
We’ll begin our portraits with a limited palette and slowly develop it into a vibrant, expressive work of heart that reflects your unique personal style.
Through our layered process, I will teach you more about contrast and values. - two key elements in art-making!
My goal in this lesson is for you to relax, explore, learn more about the pastel medium, be playful, and have an absolute blast while creating! ART should be FUN! So let’s get painting together!
Class Is Open!
Only $47.00
{ LIFETIME ACCESS & DOWNLOADABLE VIDEOS }
Who is this class for?
I believe that we honor our creativity by engaging in activities that both inspire and challenge us in new and exciting ways. This class is full of ideas for fueling your creative fire and pushing your creativity into new and exciting territory. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned portrait painter, Luminous Layers provides everything you need to create colorful, expressive portraits in soft pastel.
This class is definitely for those who -
have pastels but haven’t really explored them yet!
love color and experimenting!
are playful, open and ready to learn!
want to express themselves with freedom!
are FUN-loving and want to let loose and get messy!
HERE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF Jennifer's WORK
Class Is Open!
Only $47.00
{ LIFETIME ACCESS & DOWNLOADABLE VIDEOS }
Supply List
This is a list of what I’ll be using in the class but feel free to use other supplies which are comparable to the quality I’ll be using for the lessons. Quality makes a big difference when working with soft pastels.
Pastels
Charcoal
Paper
Strathmore or Canson Pastel
Paper 9x12
Additional Materials
Kneaded eraser
Artist tape
Q-tips or blending stumps
Reference photos
Clipboard